Etrac Help Please

[PlayingInTheDirt]

I am having all kinds of trouble or I guess you could say confusion here on this darn etrac. I just got this machine about a week ago & I was using a se pro. Now my question is I cant seem to get a grip on the setting or programs which ever you want to call it. I hunt silver mostly and I have a test bed made for my detectors so I can try them out with coils & such. On the etrac when I am sitting in the house with a silver quarter & run it over the coil it reads perfect with the cursor on the right top of the screen. Now when I go out to my test bed I cant even get it to read on the same program at all which is down about 7" deep. I can open it up to iron mask it hits it ever swing but get this, The cursor is at the bottom of the screen on the right side but I am getting the FE & CO numbers right. Why is the etrac putting silver in the bottom of the screen were it supposed to be in the right top? Like I said before it does perfect in the house but not in the dirt. I just don't understand this at all if anyone can help me out with a setting or something I can try? Thanks For Any Help Fellows

 

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[Fletch88]

First, I don't know if you bought your Etrac new or not, but do a total reset.
Second, select Minelab coin mode, auto sensitivity or manual around 18-22 and see what happens. It could be iron that your picking up.
Third, build yourself a 2 tone ferrous program to keep ready to go and easily selectable from user modes. The quickest way is to select Minelab Relic mode, then select 2 Tones Ferrous, normal response ( some like smooth), recovery fast, deep off. This will allow you to hear the iron grunts, which sound like a coin in Multitone conductive. Then listen for the high tones and when you have a repeatable high tone, dig it and see what happens. This mode amazes me sometimes in areas I had all but given up on detecting there's so much iron trash.

 

[PlayingInTheDirt]

First, I don't know if you bought your Etrac new or not, but do a total reset.
Second, select Minelab coin mode, auto sensitivity or manual around 18-22 and see what happens. It could be iron that your picking up.
Third, build yourself a 2 tone ferrous program to keep ready to go and easily selectable from user modes. The quickest way is to select Minelab Relic mode, then select 2 Tones Ferrous, normal response ( some like smooth), recovery fast, deep off. This will allow you to hear the iron grunts, which sound like a coin in Multitone conductive. Then listen for the high tones and when you have a repeatable high tone, dig it and see what happens. This mode amazes me sometimes in areas I had all but given up on detecting there's so much iron trash.

Thanks fletch, I will try some of you settings and yes I purchased it used but I think it is working right. I just think it is me the user that is having the trouble but I hope to get a little results from it next time out or I am going back to my se pro. I really didn't think it would be this big of a difference. But I am going to try it another outing just to see what I can do with it. Right now I am sick because I purchased it but I hope it changes my mind Thanks

 

[cudamark]

Don't give up that quick. Even if it was working flawlessly, you need to get about 100 hours under your belt before you can feel comfortable with it. I you have the Andy Sabisch book, check to be sure ALL your settings are where they should be.

 

[Fletch88]

Don't give up on it that quickly. I felt the same way the first couple of times I used it. I still don't have anywhere near a 100 hours on it, but feel very comfortable with it. Have you tried just laying the usual line of coins down on the ground and comparing responses on each target? Also, another way to build a TTF program is select quick mask and zero all disc out to left and down to bottom, then load that as disc pattern. Select TTF, fast on, deep off, high trash, difficult. Then sve the whole mode as one of your user modes. My coin program I built has just a small amount of disc in bottom right of screen. If there's canslaw everywhere that's normally what I use. If there's a bunch of iron targets is with to TTF. I mostly use an X-8 coil about 90% of the time as it gives good separation and still covers a decent amount of ground. Hope this helps you out. HH

Walt

 

[PlayingInTheDirt]

Don't give up on it that quickly. I felt the same way the first couple of times I used it. I still don't have anywhere near a 100 hours on it, but feel very comfortable with it. Have you tried just laying the usual line of coins down on the ground and comparing responses on each target? Also, another way to build a TTF program is select quick mask and zero all disc out to left and down to bottom, then load that as disc pattern. Select TTF, fast on, deep off, high trash, difficult. Then sve the whole mode as one of your user modes. My coin program I built has just a small amount of disc in bottom right of screen. If there's canslaw everywhere that's normally what I use. If there's a bunch of iron targets is with to TTF. I mostly use an X-8 coil about 90% of the time as it gives good separation and still covers a decent amount of ground. Hope this helps you out. HH

Walt

I want to start off by saying man what a mistake I would have made if I sold my etrac. I went out with it today & man it smoked some coins. I didn't hit any silver but I found 5 wheats, 3 clad dimes, 8 Lincoln cents. I love it & to beat it all I hunted in the same area that I had already covered with the pro. I just didn't give it a chance but now I like it & I am going to keep. It is a real machine I was really shocked with the results from it today. WOW great detector I really like it & can't wait to hit a piece of silver with it. Thanks For Your Input & I Am So Glad I Gave It Another Chance. Thanks Fletch

 

[Tony in Virginia]

I was having trouble with mine too , bought Andy Sabisch's book. Once you figure it out the Etrac is an amazing machine. Buy the book.

 

[PlayingInTheDirt]

I was having trouble with mine too , bought Andy Sabisch's book. Once you figure it out the Etrac is an amazing machine. Buy the book.

Yep, I already have it & looked through it a little. I have owned the se pro for a couple years & got real use to it. I guess I was just thinking the etrac wouldn't be that big of a difference but it was. I took the etrac out a little while after work today & it really amazed me today it must have wanted to stay with me because it was showing itself today It is a keeper so I have to let my se pro go It has been a great little machine but I have to sale it to pay for my etrac. Thanks for info happy hunting & Good Luck

 

[Jackalope]

Now when I go out to my test bed I cant even get it to read on the same program at all which is down about 7" deep. I can open it up to iron mask it hits it ever swing but get this, The cursor is at the bottom of the screen on the right side but I am getting the FE & CO numbers right

Sounds like the soil contains minerals/iron that is driving the high Fe values (bottom right). If there are nails in the soil the E-Trac is going to register iron (bottom right). The best way to improve separation and get the coin is to use 1) smaller coils 2) absolutely no discrimination 3) sweep slowly from multiple angles 4) use manual sensitivity to boost the signal or Auto +3 if you're not already 5) accept that FBS has trouble separating iron from other low conductors

Jackalope

 

[buttedigger]

I'm having a problem with the FE/CO it seems to take forever to give me a different reading on other targets like it's hesitating. There's time a it won't give me numbers at all. I've done a reset. Still under warranty, should I send it in yet?

 

[Mach1Pilot]

I'm glad to see you got it sorted out. Fletch gave you some great advice, and like Jackalope mentioned it also sounded to me like there could have been a mineralization issue with your soils. I'm sure you have read by now about hunting the same area in conductive tones folowed by TTF (or vice versa).... sometimes targets will stand out in one versus the other.. which may allow you to squeak out a few more goodies from your favorite site.

 

[Jackalope]

I'm having a problem with the FE/CO it seems to take forever to give me a different reading on other targets like it's hesitating. There's time a it won't give me numbers at all.

You won't get an Fe-Co or tone if the returned signal has Fe-Co values in a Disc'd out area. You may also not get a display reading if the signal is weak and uncertain. Large variability in the returned signal - usually weak or deep targets, requires careful sweep (slow) to give the detector algorithms a chance to get a reliable value.

The target ID isn't as competent or deep as the audio tone (which requires much less processing). If you don't get a displayed Fe-Co but the tone sounds good - dig anyway.

Jackalope

 

[PlayingInTheDirt]

I'm glad to see you got it sorted out. Fletch gave you some great advice, and like Jackalope mentioned it also sounded to me like there could have been a mineralization issue with your soils. I'm sure you have read by now about hunting the same area in conductive tones folowed by TTF (or vice versa).... sometimes targets will stand out in one versus the other.. which may allow you to squeak out a few more goodies from your favorite site.

Yes, I really think it had to do with the program that I had on it at the time. I done a master reset on it & put another program in & it performed great. I am very happy to own a etrac. My best machine by far & I have only went out with it twice That thing is a beast of a machine I would have never thought that it would be that big of a difference but WOW. Thanks everyone for your efforts in helping me out shezzzz it was driving me crazy. Thanks Happy Hunting